First, the day started with sushi. It was a last minute idea, and a brilliant one at that. Last minute, impromptu sushi always seems to taste better for some reason. Jen picked me up at home and we headed to the little sushi place down the road from my place. We put our order in and then went to the grocery store next door to grab our drink mix while our lunch was being made. Upon returning, our sushi was waiting for us at the table and we dove in. The spicy tuna was especially tasty this day, but really it was all very good. Stuffed with sushi, we hopped in the car and headed for the west end, trying to get across town before rush hour traffic – minus a little bit of construction we were successful.

Our first stop was Karters’ Korner. Why? Because Jen had some mini-putt vengeance to dish out. Why? Because on Wednesday I kicked her ass on the green carpet and she needed revenge. It was up to me to pick the venue for the latest tournament, and since the last one was more of a technical course this time I went with windmills, barns, planes and the sort. Perhaps the whimsical atmosphere inspired Jen as she rattled off 2-putt holes like they were nothing. Perhaps it was the Red Bull giving her a jolt. Maybe it was her golf shorts intimidating me. Whatever it was, it worked! She bested me by one stroke with a final score of 52. Needless to say, a rubber match is in the works once we find a location. Our grudge match out of the way, we hit the liquor store before reaching Costco to pick up burgers and buns. We learned our lesson last time we were at Ryan’s, making sure that whoever brings the burgers brings the buns so that we don’t have cooked burgers and no buns in the event that the person in charge of the buns is really late. An important life lesson to remember there!

Once at Ryan’s the good times continued. My drink of choice for the night was Malibu Rum & Cokes with fresh mint leaves. Judging by how many I had, they were good. We all sat around and caught up as we waited for everyone to arrive, little Isabel stealing the show with her blond curls and big blue eyes. Once all invitees were on location we dug into the delicious grub that everyone brought so that the hot tubbing and bonfiring (yup, I am using them as verbs – sue me!) could commence. Those that jumped into the hot tub clearly did not heed my “no hot tub 30 minutes after eating” advisory, but I couldn’t blame them as I didn’t either. Forty-five minutes to an hour in the hot tub and I was sufficiently pruney enough to call it quits and head to the bonfire. There we continued to drink and fondly remember the old times… and then the skunk hit! We don’t know if one of the dogs attacked it or if they even got sprayed, but we do know that the stench wafted over us and we had to head inside for shelter. That was until the house began to stink more than it did outside, at which point we returned to our revelry around the fire into the early morning hours before heading home.

It was a great night and exactly what I needed. Thanks Ryan, Lisa and everyone who came. I really appreciated it! As usual, here are the photos to go along with the day’s events. I hate using flash and so keep that in mind for the night shots…

I have Jay-Z concert tickets for November! Thanks to a friend’s timely Facebook status last night, I was alerted to the upcoming musical event and started my Internet research (aka Google). A few minutes later I discovered that there was a pre-sale for American Express card holders before the public could get tickets (which will be tomorrow) and promptly called upon my father who has such an AMEX card. A few minutes later and I was staring at the glorious confirmation screen indicating that I was the proud owner of 4 floor seat tickets, 12 rows back from the stage. Hell, I might even get Hova (aka Jay-Z for the hip-hop illiterate) spittle on me from that close! I was hoping to catch his show in Glasgow and was a little disappointed that changes in my situation prevented me from doing so, however, it looks like Jigga Man (aka Jay-Z) understood my plight and has graced Ottawa with a concert just for me.

I have to admit, though, I haven’t had a chance to listen to his new album (The Blueprint 3) yet. I know! I do have a good reason, though. I have two concerts coming up next week that I have focused my music-listening time on in order to be prepared. First up is K’Naan on Tuesday at Ritual Nightclub. Most people probably haven’t heard of him but you should look him up if you get a chance – he has a nice vibe to his music. He was in town for Bluesfest a couple of months back and apparently he put on quite the show. I then get Wednesday and Thursday to recover before heading back to Ritual Nightclub for the Classified concert on Friday night. This one I am really looking forward to attending! I remember listening to him back when he first started and I was in high school and he is just now getting radio airtime as a result of his latest album. I have his discography in rotation in the car currently and damn the guy is good – and not just for Canadian hip-hop but in hip-hop period. For both shows I will be meeting up with Ollie and Kat, and even more will be joining us for Friday night to see Classified. I am going to be in hip-hop overload by the time November rolls around, and it is going to be soooo sweet!

You may have also noticed that it has been over a month since I last posted. I can’t believe I have left it this long and don’t know why I have as it isn’t as though there isn’t anything to write about. New job, new car, training for my first 5K (you can see my training log on the right sidebar here on caringforapthy.com) and getting in better shape. I will try to not leave it nearly as long and will get back to updating regularly again.

Which brings me to my reason for writing today. There are a couple of movies coming out in the next two weeks, and one in September, that I am really looking forward to seeing. The first is 500 Days of Summer, in theaters this Friday, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the always adorable Zooey Deschanel. I have been anticipating this release for a long time and definitely plan on seeing it soon.

I have to make sure I get that movie in before next Friday since that is when Funny People opens, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan, as well as many, many other comedians. Normally, I would say that a comedy about comedians wouldn’t work well but this looks like it will. It seems like it has quite a bit of heart and I can’t wait to laugh my ass off at this one too.

And lastly, in September I will be catching Matt Damon in The Informant!. (The ! is in the film title, I am not that excited to see it!) I don’t think I have seen Damon in a comedy since Stuck On You, which was no treat to watch. But, combine him with Steven Soderbergh and what appears to be a smart script and I am on board.

Oh wait, I am not done yet! There is one last movie I need to write about, but this time it is one I have already seen and highly recommend. In the Loop is a film done by BBC Films and is a sharp-witted, quick-paced hilarious take on politics and international relations. I know that doesn’t sound too funny but trust me, it is. It won’t be out on DVD until the end of August, but if you have other sources then you should be able to grab it now (I think you know what I mean).